New Jersey kayaker catches 7-foot shark, stuns beachgoers

Ocean City - A kayaker, Tony "Shark Tony" Cutugno, gave beachgoers the scare of their lives when he brought to shore a 7-foot sand tiger shark he caught about 200 yards off-shore, near 58th Street beach, Ocean City, N.J. Wednesday.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Shark Tony caught the shark by hooking it from a kayak, and paddled back to the beach with it. CBS News reports Mark Miedama, a member of the Ocean beach patrol, helped Tony bring in the creature. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Miedama was sitting on the sand with friends when he noticed Shark Tony struggling with what looked like a big catch. Miedama said it took three men to land it. He said: "It didn't want to be beached, for sure. I helped him pull it up." He added: "That's the biggest he's pulled up. It was pretty intimidating." CBS News reports Miedama said the shark "showed a little bit of fight when it first got in, then it realized it had no chance on the beach so then we just set it free after we cut the line." According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, sand sharks can grow up to 10 feet in length and only very rarely do they attack humans. CBS News reports Bill Kazmarck, a lifeguard at the 58th Street beach, said sand tiger sharks commonly swim in Ocean City waters. He said: "It's their home, too. People ask all the time if there are sharks out there. I'm honest with them. Of course there are. But if they wanted to attack, they'd attack every day. [But] They don't." Shark Tony said: "They're all up and down here. They're always there. The sharks don't bite people or else you couldn't swim. But I just like to go out and watch the sun set and see if I can catch fish." He released the shark back into the water after snapping a few pictures and said he would continue to search for more sharks in the area. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Lt. Brian Booth of the beach patrol said the waters remain safe.